The present invention relates in general to a road surface cutting system and in particular to a road surface cutting system capable of cutting a hole into both cold asphalt and dry concrete surfaces without lubrication being applied to the road surface and cutting bladesxe2x80x94instead using air to cool the cutting blades.
The boundaries of roadways are commonly defined and marked by either safety reflectors or raised lane dividers positioned along the sides of the road and between driving lanes. These reflectors and lane dividers are not merely placed upon the surface of the roads but are actually inserted into the roads themselves. To insert these reflectors and lane dividers into the road, holes are cut into the road into which the reflectors and lane dividers are then placed and glued into position.
The holes have historically been cut into the road through the use of a cutting system mounted upon a truck that travels down the road and periodically lowers a set of spinning circular cutting blades. These cutting blades are normally made from steel with industrial diamonds adhered to and surrounding the diameter of the blades thereby forming the cutting surface. However, not all blades will effectively cut all types of road materials. The blades that effectively cut asphalt do not work as well on concrete and those that cut concrete are not as effective on asphalt. Accordingly, two different sets of blades are usually required to be carried on the truck depending upon what type of surface, asphalt or concrete, is to be cut.
The need for different sets of blades for different road surfaces causes difficulties in the cutting process. Each set of blades is extremely heavy weighing upwards of three hundred pounds. Therefor, merely the carrying of multiple sets of cutting blades creates a burden. Moreover, changing the blades is no simple procedure incurring significant time, effort and possibly additional equipment. That time, effort and additional equipment makes it unproductive to repeatedly change blades or to change blades on site.
Whether the blades are cutting into asphalt or concrete, as the blades are vertically lowered to engage the road surface, a tremendous amount of heat is created that. The heat created, if left alone, would quickly wear out the blades rendering them useless. Historically, to cool the blades, a liquid, normally water, is applied to the blades and the road as the cutting process takes place. However, the use of water to cool the blades requires that an excessive amount of water be carried on the truck. Furthermore, the use of water in the cooling process also translates into the hole being filling with water and causing difficulty and delay in the insertion of the reflector or lane divider into the hole. The water needs to be evacuated before the reflector or lane divider may be adhered into the hole. This evacuation of the water causes further delay. Delays in the placement of the reflectors and lane dividers are significant since the road or lane is, at least partially, closed during this process rendering it unavailable to traffic. As should be appreciated, closing of certain roads or lanes could create significant traffic problemsxe2x80x94especially in congested areas.
It is thus an object of the present invention to create a road cutting system to minimize delay and lane closure caused by the cutting of a road surface and the insertion of a reflector or lane divider.
It is further an object of the present invention to create a road cutting system that does not use liquid to cool the cutting blades.
It is still further an object of the invention to minimize the need to exchange cutting blades depending upon whether the road surface is asphalt or concrete.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of present specification and drawings.
The present invention comprises a road surface cutting system, which is capable of cutting a hole into both cold asphalt and dry concrete surfaces towards deploying and securing roadway marking reflectors, without needing lubrication to be applied to the road as it is being cut.
In a preferred embodiment of the road surface cutting system, the system includes a deflection housing which containing the debris generated during the cutting of the hole into the road surface. The deflection housing is orientated so that its bottom is proximate to the roadway surface when the deflection housing is deployed so as to define a cutting region in the road surface creating a boundary for the hole being cut. The deflection housing is also capable of substantially vertical movement towards the road surface as it is being deployed for cutting and away the road surface when the deflection housing is to be removed from the road surface after completion of cutting the hole.
Within the deflection housing is one or more road surface cutting blades. These one or more cutting blades are capable of articulated movement within the deflection housing so as to xe2x80x9cfloatxe2x80x9d from a retracted, non-cutting position, when the deflection housing is not adjacent to the road surface, to a deployed cutting position extending beyond the bottom of the deflection housing, when the deflection housing is adjacent to the road surface so as to permit the one or more road surface cutting blades to engage in cutting a hole into the roadway.
Also connected to the deflection housing is a vacuum system for evacuation of debris created by the one or more road surface cutting blades engaging and cutting the road surface. The vacuum system then deposits the debris into a collection container. The vacuum system also simultaneously generates an air flow within the deflection hosng thereby cooling the one or more road surface cutting blades.
In another embodiment, the deflection housing is additionally capable of horizontal movement parallel to the road surface being cut. The deflection housing may also be capable of further leveling adjustment relative to the road surface as the deflection housing is deployed. The further leveling adjustment positions the bottom of the deflection housing juxtaposed with and substantially parallel to the road surface so that the one ore more road surface cutting blades are substantially perpendicular to the said road surface when the one or more road surface cutting blades are in a cutting position.
Preferably the entire road surface cutting system is mounted on a road vehicle. It is also envisioned that the one or more road surface cutting blades are substantially circular blades, each of which is substantially co-planar to each other and rotating around a center point. The center points should be positioned substantially along a common horizontal axis as every other respective center point.
The deflection housing is envisioned as likewise being substantially circular in shape and surrounding one or more substantially circular blades so as to envelop the majority of the one or more substantially circular blades. As such only a portion of the one or more substantially circular blades is capable of protruding out from the bottom of deflection housing towards the road surface to be cut.
In the preferred embodiment, the one or more substantially circular blades actually comprise twenty circular blades. These twenty blades are arranged in a 3-14-3 configuration, where the fourteen middle blades have a smaller diameter than other six outer blades. The fourteen blades all have a common diameter, while the six outer blades also have a common diameter.
As previously indicated, the vacuum system distributes the debris to a debris collection container. The debris collection container is positional in either a collection orientation or a discharge orientation. When transitioning from its collection orientation to its discharge orientation, one end of the container moves upwardly in a vertical direction so as to pivot the collection container about the other end until the container reaches its final discharge orientation.
In another embodiment, the controls for moving the deflection housing vertically, horizontally and through leveling adjustments are located in the cab of the vehicle adjacent to the driver. These controls are located to permit the deflecting housing to be positioned without stopping the vehicle.
In still another embodiment, the road surface cutting system also includes a second vehicle that dispenses adhesive into the hole cut into the road surface. After the adhesive is dispensed into the hole, the second vehicle places the roadway marking reflector into the hole.
In a preferred embodiment, the method of cutting a hole into both cold asphalt and dry concrete surfaces without need for lubrication comprises the steps of: (a) cutting the surfaces with one or more surface cutting blades contained within a deflection housing defining a surface cutting area and preventing debris created by the cutting blades being applied to the surfaces from dispersing into adjacent areas; (b) suctioning and removing said debris from the surface cutting area; (c) collecting the debris from the surface cutting area in a debris collection container; and (d) creating an air flow within the deflection housing capable of cooling the one or more surface cutting blades being applied to the surfaces.